Saturday mailer fest - Lauzen

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Oberweis negative mailer

I can't stop 'em. A new one every day.

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Lauzen: "When we go for an ice cream cone..."

Chicago Argus on the Lauzen Oberweis debate at Aurora University, Also here...

His attempt to use humor in taking a pot shot at GOP primary opponent Jim Oberweis gave us a chuckle. Lauzen was seriously trying to contrast the experience he gained in 15 years serving in the Illinois Senate, compared to Oberweis, who runs a dairy and chain of ice cream parlors – but has never held elective office.

Or, as Lauzen so “eloquently” put it while motioning with his right hand to Oberweis, “When we go for an ice cream cone, we go to someone with experience in doing it.”

Also, a post on Chicago's fractured Democratic Party as the obstacle to getting anything accomplished,

Anytime a Republican legislator negotiated some sort of deal or compromise with a Democrat, he automatically picked up all of the Democrat’s enemies.

In the world of Chicago politics, enemies don’t just vote against you. They go out of their way to round up others to vote against you. Then, they try to make you suffer for your arrogance in trying to get something past them in the first place.

“It’s never a problem with the actual issue at hand, it’s always a personal slight with those guys,” the Republican said. “Somebody did something to insult someone or steal a girl away back when the two of them were working their way through law school at night, so they’re enemies for life.

“It’s just so much easier, less of a hassle, to not bother with the other side and try to do it ourselves,” he told me.

If the GOP can elect a mayor in NYC, I don't understand why they concede Chicago without a vote. Democrat's dominance there is devastating the state. The whole bizarre culture just spills over and brings Illinois to a halt.

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Lauzen mailer on immigration

Today's mailer from Lauzen on immigration.

The top of the second side reads, If you want something done in Washington about illegal immigration...

Note quote from the Trib dated 2/25/04 on Oberweis ads widely criticized as "racist"... and Hastert's comment from 6/2004 calling Oberweis unfit for the nomination...

Well, they were horrible ads. The GOP doesn't need that.

They debate tonight at 7pm. Check them out.

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Lauzen negative mailer on Oberweis

Have to look real hard for the Paid by Lauzen For Congress.

If you can't knock your opponent, what good is politics? Politics after all, is how civilized people bicker.

The humor helps. We can't take many more similing Hasterts and Oberweises in our mail box.

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Latest Lauzen Mailer

Two pages from a four page mailer I received from Lauzen. He runs on a record which is a lot more than one can say for the Hastert-quit-congress-early endorsed candidate.




Hastert as quoted in the AP story in the link. It's appalling.

"I've looked at the candidates, I've spent a lot of time, because it's a difficult decision to make," he added. "But I thought Jim's ideas on immigration fit best with what we tried to do over a long period of time....

Postscript 1: Jeff Berkowitz had an exhange last week with Oberweis on Hastert and earmarks that's fun to read. Berkowitz called Hastert the earmark king of congress.

Considering Foster found Hastert a key ally for funding rocket scientist stuff over at Fermi who could end up with both Oberweis and Foster as the Hastert style candidates, and Lauzen and Laesch as the reformers and radicals.

So much for Political Parties and Labels.

Postscript 2: Peggy Noonan's column today. Head to the bottom for her thoughts on Pols and immigration. She sums up my fellings and my problem with Oberweis.

It is clear in Iowa that immigration is the great issue that won't go away. Members of the American elite, including U.S. senators, continue to do damage to the public debate on immigration. They do not view it as a crucial question of America's continuance. They view it as an onerous issue that might upset their personal plans, an issue dominated by pro-immigration groups and power centers on the one hand, and the pesky American people, with their limited and quasi-racist concerns, on the other.
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A real and felt concern among the candidates about immigration is a rare thing. And people can tell. They can tell with both parties. This is the real source of bitterness in this debate. It's not regnant racism. It's knowing the political class is incapable of caring, and so repairing.

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Bill Foster files for the special in IL-14

Bill Foster will file 1,832 signatures this morning for the special election in IL-14. They like to point out that's after a week with two ice storms and 8 inches of snow. I like to point out that it's a perfectly sufficient number to avoid a challenge.

I think they needed 870 or so, so 1,832 pads their total nicely and they were still able to do other stuff the past week.

I was out helping the Foster campaign in IL-14 yesterday. I was struck by a few things.

Something I had wondered about with the Foster campaign early on was whether or not they would be able to expand their base and their volunteer pool sufficiently. As I read through their volunteer board on the wall of the office yesterday, I really got it that they are doing the right things to diversify their support. I suspected they were doing all the right things before and I had no reason to think otherwise, but yesterday seriously cemented it in my brain.

Like every campaign should, they started out building upon Bill's personal and professional relationships for financial and volunteer support. One of the things that I look for in candidates is whether or not the candidate's former colleagues like and respect him or her enough to invest time and money in the campaign. Bill certainly passed that test with flying colors! How many candidates can you think of who have world class scientists (and their families) writing checks AND pounding the pavement for them?!

The Foster Scientific Brigade have continued to be out in full effect for Bill and the campaign has managed to recruit many new, enthusiastic supporters form very diverse communities! I've met college kids from Aurora University and Northern Illinois University. I saw several of the Fox Valley Forge strikers and their families. Teachers from Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles and Elgin. Nurses from DeKalb, Aurora, and Oswego. At least two Kane County Board members and several other elected officials and their families. And, perhaps most importantly, many people who I know from firsthand experience who have the ability to influence large chunks of the voting bloc.

Couple this with the fact that Bill has raised the most money of any Democratic or Republican candidate (aside from his personal contribution) and has picked up some very impressive endorsements (AFSCME Council 31, Planned Parenthood, Senator Dick Durbin, and 19 Nobel Laureates among them!) and things are looking pretty good for the Foster campaign. I'm pretty happy with their progress thus far.

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